2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD)

Introducing the C2West Framework for Analyzing Assets of Black Undergraduate Students in Engineering

Presented at Session 5 - Track 1: Introducing the C2West Framework for Analyzing Assets of Black Undergraduate Students in Engineering

Asset-based theories explain how people can apply their talents and skills to thrive in diverse environments. When applied to engineering education, these theories can highlight the unique strengths of students of color that help them succeed in college and beyond. An asset-based framework allows both students and instructors to see the potential in students in ways that were previously overlooked or unexplored.
This paper combines one asset-based framework and a powerful contextual theory to highlight the assets of Black students in engineering. First, Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework examines familial, linguistic, aspirational, resistant, navigational, and social capital. Second, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) describes the relationships that surround an individual as a set of systems that influence the individual in different ways. We combine the CCW and EST frameworks, to develop the C2WEST framework. This new framework can be used explore the experiences and strengths of Black students in engineering and the contexts that best describe those strengths. The various levels of influence included in EST will be used as a tool for describing the proximity of the assets to the individual as described by CCW. We present an illustrative example to demonstrate the power of combining these two frameworks.
We posit that synthesizing these frameworks provides researchers with unique opportunities to analyze interviews based on the type of capital and the impact the particular capital could have on the individual’s engineering journey. In addition to creating a unique way to analyze the experiences of Black engineering students, we anticipate the merged frameworks could be used to help students of Color realize the strengths they bring to the classroom. By identifying their assets, students could feel more empowered in engineering by recognizing the unique strengths they possess. We hope the tool will be used to help students realize their own strengths and for faculty and administrators to further realize how to support students.

Authors

Ms. Jessica Fallon http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3506-9983 Clemson University [biography]

Jessica Fallon is a graduate student in the Department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University. She is also a Graduate Administrative Assistant for the Bioengineering Department and assists with advising students throughout their academic careers.
Dr. Catherine E. Brawner http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8172-7599 Research Triangle Educational Consultants [biography]

Catherine E. Brawner is President of Research Triangle Educational Consultants. She received her Ph.D.in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from NC State University in 1996. She also has an MBA from Indiana University (Bloomington) and a bachelorâ€™
Aimee Sayster [biography]

Aimee Sayster is an undergraduate student in the Mechanical Engineering department at Clemson University. She is in an undergraduate researcher investigating Black immigrant students' experiences in engineering. She will graduate with her BS in Mechanical Engineering in August 2023.
Dr. Catherine Mobley Clemson University [biography]

Catherine Mobley, Ph.D., is a Professor of Sociology at Clemson University. She has over 30 years experience in project and program evaluation and has worked for a variety of consulting firms, non-profit agencies, and government organizations, including t
Dr. Marisa K. Orr http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5944-5846 Clemson University [biography]

Marisa K. Orr is an Assistant Professor in Engineering and Science Education with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. Her research interests include student persistence and pathways in engineering, gender equity, diversity, and academic policy. Dr. Orr is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award for her research on “Empowering Students to be Adaptive Decision-Makers.”
Dr. Rebecca Brent http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-5390-1625 Education Designs, Inc [biography]

Rebecca Brent is President of Education Designs, Inc., a consulting firm located in Chapel Hill, N.C. She is a certified program evaluator and a faculty development consultant. Brent received her B.A. from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., her M.Ed. f

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Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
engineering
race/ethnicity
undergraduate